


follow you down

by Everly_Rose



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst, Ben and Mal are together but this isn't really about them, Don't mess with family, Everyone's protective of each other, Vague Mentions of Past Abuse, but it'll only be very brief very vague mentions, but you can't take the isle outta the VK, core four are a family, i guess, might have to add warnings for second chapter, the Isle was rough, the VKs didn't just get over it, this occurs somewhere between the first and second movie, you can take the VK outta the isle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-01-24 03:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everly_Rose/pseuds/Everly_Rose
Summary: Life on the Isle hadn't been kind, it had been brutal and cruel and has left them with scars that endure and inner-demons that rear their heads at unsuspecting times. Life in Auradon is better, of course, but kids from the Isle don't take kindly to threats against their friends, or what they perceive to be threats.Or someone may have overacted and landed them all in Fairy Godmother's office facing expulsion from Auradon Prep.
Relationships: Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil
Comments: 40
Kudos: 365





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So to put it simply, this is a short fic about how shitty life on the Isle was and how much the core four love each other. Was originally going to be a one-shot since it's mostly one scene (save for the first few paragraphs) but it was getting long so I decided to break it up. 
> 
> This idea just kind of popped into my head a couple of weeks ago while I was writing a longer Descendants fic I may eventually post and I just felt like sharing. Takes place between the first and second movie. 
> 
> Ben and Mal are together in this but their relationship isn't the focus so I didn't tag them as a couple. This is about Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos's friendship.

“I’m coming with you,” Mal says as Ben hangs up the phone. She’s out of her seat before he can respond, standing in front of Ben’s desk with her bag in her hand, ready and eager.

Ben shakes his head as he pulls on his suit jacket. There goes their relaxing “office picnic” as Mal had dubbed their little lunchtime rendezvous. He had been so busy lately with school and tourney and his kingly duties that he and Mal have hardly had any time together, so when Mal proposed sharing a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in his office while he squeezed in some last-minute royal paperwork during lunch, he was all too eager to take her up on the offer. But then Fairy Godmother called about an incident that just occurred on campus and Mal’s ears perked up at the mention of the names of her friends who are apparently involved. 

“Mal, this is official Auradon business. I can’t show up to an important meeting with my _girlfriend _if I want to be taken seriously as King,” Ben insists. 

“I wouldn’t be going as your girlfriend,” Mal shoots back. “I am more than that, you know.” 

“Of course. I didn’t mean—” Ben begins to apologize. 

Mal cuts him off, not interested in apologies. “Ben, I need to be there.” 

Ben sighs. He hadn’t been able to get much information out of Fairy Godmother on the phone, as there had been quite a bit of shouting and squabbling in the background and he could hardly hear the headmistress over the noise. Although the king’s reign extends to all of Auradon’s institutions, including schools, the royal family is not typically called upon to handle school matters. Of course with this particular situation involving the kids from the Isle, Fairy Godmother told Ben she felt it was pertinent to call on him. He can only hope it’s nothing too serious as any misstep involving the kids from the Isle tended to draw strong reactions from the people of Auradon and he really doesn’t need the public turning on him so soon into his tenure as king. 

“Mal, I think it’s best I handle this on my own. Fairy Godmother did not sound pleased on the phone.”

Mal watches as Ben furrows his brow and pats his pants pockets in search of his misplaced cell phone before taking pity on her frazzled boyfriend and fishing it out from under a stack of papers on his desk to hand to him. 

“Thanks,” he mumbles with a sheepish smile. 

Mal had only heard Ben’s side of his conversation with Fairy Godmother, but from what she gathered Jay, Evie, and Carlos are in some sort of trouble and her boyfriend is clearly on edge and worried about _something _involving her friends, which in turn is making _her_ worry. 

“It’s bad isn’t it?” Mal asks seriously. “Why else would they call you in?” 

“It was my proclamation that brought you guys here, if anything goes wrong—” Ben trails off. 

He’s not sure what he means. He is technically king, although some members of the council and a handful of court royals still defer to his father for major decisions—much to Ben’s chagrin—and while his position grants him great power, he does not want to be the type of king who ignores the will of his people. Would the council look to send Mal and her friends back to the Isle at the first sign of trouble? He supposes it depends on how much trouble has been caused. 

The pair exit the office and Ben pauses to give Mal a kiss on the cheek before they part. “I’ll call you when I know more.” 

“Please, Ben,” Mal pleads, reaching out to take his hand and draw his eyes to hers. “I need to be there. They’re my family.”

Mal prides herself on remaining unbothered in most situations, she's not the type to get worked up over the small things, but she’ll be the very first to admit that she’s indeed very bothered by the prospect of something happening to her friends without her being there to protect them.

Ben takes in the concern visible on his typically stoic girlfriend’s face and relents. “Come on,” he gives in. 

Mal flashes him a grateful smile and Ben can’t help but grin in return. He is king and if he wants his girlfriend there then so be it. Or he’ll think of an excuse on the walk over. 

Mal trails Ben into Fairy Godmother’s office to find the fairy behind her desk with former King Adam and Queen Belle standing at her side. Mr. Deley, one of the school’s science teachers, is leaning against the window sill glaring at Jay, who sits slouched and cross-armed in the chair in front of Fairy Godmother’s desk. Evie is in the chair next to his with Carlos perched on the arm of her chair closest to Jay. The room is crowded and the air tense and Mal and Ben’s entrance does little to ease that tension. 

“King Ben, thank goodness you’re here!” Fairy Godmother exhales in relief at their arrival. 

“Son, we have a bit of an issue concerning your _friends_,” Adam says in way of greeting. His mouth presses into a firm thin line as he scrutinizes the three kids sat in front of Fairy Godmother’s desk. 

Carlos pales under Beast’s heated gaze while Evie frets with her skirt nervously and Jay just glares back at him. 

“Mom, Dad,” Ben starts, surprised to see his parents, “what are you doing here?” 

“Fairy Godmother called us,” Adam explains. “As you know, since stepping down as king and queen, your mother and I have taken on advisory positions in the courts. Fairy Godmother called upon us first in hopes of avoiding burdening the King with such matters.” 

Belle steps forward to address her son. “But we seem to be at a bit of an impasse as to how to proceed and since this concerns the subjects of your proclamation—”

“We have names,” Jay interjects with a roll of his eyes. Carlos’s eyebrows jump with fear and Evie gives Jay a glare of her own to silence him. 

“Jay’s right. I apologize,” Belle continues, offering the three villain kids a contrite smile. “Since this concerns Jay, Evie, and Carlos, we felt it would be prudent to include you in the discussion of how to proceed.” 

“You made that proclamation as incoming King of Auradon and now that you’ve officially taken the throne it’s up to you to defend it,” Adam adds. 

Ben straightens his shoulders and opens his mouth to speak but Mal beats him to the punch. 

“Defend it? What do you mean?” she demands. 

“Are you going to send us back?” Evie asks, voice quiet as worried honey-colored eyes sweep around the office in search of reassurances that never come. 

“You can’t do that!” Mal cries taking in the wrecked faces of her friends. She and Jay might be able to readjust to Isle life if necessary, but Evie and Carlos look terrified at the idea. They never truly fit in on the Isle in the first place. 

Ben places a calming hand on Mal’s shoulder as he steps forward to demand answers. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on here?”

“Does she really need to be here?” Mr. Deley asks, eyeing Mal with contempt. “The boy, I can understand, but what purpose does his little villain girlfriend serve? We have enough delinquents present as is.” 

Mal rounds on the chemistry teacher with a growl. “Excuse me?” 

“Mr. Deley, please,” Fairy Godmother chastises. The normally chipper woman looks utterly worn down and Mal can only imagine what has been going on in this office before she and Ben arrived.

"Mal, is here to serve as a…. liaison,” Ben says with a grin he hopes is convincing. 

“Liaison?” his father questions. 

“Yes. Between the courts of Auradon and the kids of the Isle,” Ben elaborates. It’s a weak explanation and all he can do is hope his parents buy it because he can’t exactly tell the adults in the room that he had simply given in to his girlfriend’s pouting. That certainly wouldn’t come across as very kingly.

“But she _is_ a kid from the Isle. She’s one of them,” Mr. Deley argues. 

“Mal has spent many hours by my side as I attend to official matters and she is preparing to become an official lady of the court,” Ben says to justify his girlfriend's presence. 

“I am?” Mal asks

“Mal! A lady of the court! That’s so exciting!” Evie gasps from her seat, twisting her body to glance up at Mal with an excited grin. 

“Sure, super exciting.” Mal forces a smile. That’s a conversation for another day, she decides, if she and her friends live to see another day in Auradon. She moves to stand directly behind Evie’s chair, wanting to be close to her friends.

“Now can someone please tell me what’s going on here?” Ben asks again, this time a little more forcefully. 

A brief quiet settles over the group as wary eyes size up each other, and then all at once, the room buzzes alive with fervent voices and wild accusations. 

“They’re trying to expel Jay!” Carlos blurts out. 

“Good! He should be expelled! He’s a menace!” Mr. Deley shouts. 

Mal points an accusatory finger at Fairy Godmother. “You can’t do that!”

“He didn’t mean it!” Evie cries from her seat. 

“Yes, I did!” Jay counters.

Evie turns to glare at the boy. “Jay, you’re not helping!” 

“Children, let’s calm down,” Belle attempts to placate the group.

“We have rules here and if you don’t like them then you’re free to leave,” Beast tells Jay. 

“Dad.” 

Mal glares at the four adults. ”I knew you guys would be looking to get rid of us as soon as you could!” she accuses angrily. 

Despite her ignorance of the present situation, Mal can’t help but find herself getting wrapped up in the emotions of her friends. They’re a crew, a family, and their distress may as well be her own. Jay is practically vibrating with rage, Evie’s eyes are shiny with unshed tears, and Carlos looks like he wants to fade into the furniture and disappear. Mal may not know exactly what transpired to get each of them to this state, but she knows she’d do _anything_ to ease them of their burdens and restore the carefree smiles that have become much more frequent since their arrival in Auradon. 

“We have a code of conduct at this school and that boy’s behavior is a direct violation of that code!” Mr. Deley says. 

Jay turns in his seat to scowl at the disgruntled teacher. “Screw your code!”

“Jay!” Fairy Godmother gasps. 

“That’s enough!” Adam roars, effectively silencing the boisterous group. 

Ben will have to work on being more assertive in times like this, perhaps his father could teach him to channel a bit of his inner beast, but for now, he gives his father an appreciative nod and turns to Fairy Godmother in search of answers. “What did Jay do?”

Fairy Godmother looks reluctant to possibly reignite the room’s previous hysteria but dutifully answers the young king. “Jay struck Mr. Deley.” 

“That thug punched me!” Mr. Deley cries out. 

Ben doesn’t mean to come across as overly innocent or sheltered, but his mouth literally drops open at the news. “You hit a teacher!?” He knows Jay had some anger issues when he first arrived but he thought Tourney was helping him with that. Physically striking an authority figure seems beyond Ben's scope of comprehension. You simply don't do such things in Auradon. 

Mal jerks her head to gape at the former thief. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t that. “Jay! Why the hell would you do that?” 

She spares a glance in the direction of the scowling chemistry teacher in the corner and sure enough, Mr. Deley is sporting the beginnings of a black eye. She must have been too focused on Jay, Evie, and Carlos to have noticed when she walked in. 

“I had my reasons,” Jay grumbles, sinking further into his seat in defiance. 

“Jay,” Belle says, “if you don’t tell us exactly what happened we can’t help you.” 

Jay doesn’t budge. “You can’t help me. I violated your stupid code.” 

“Maybe we can make an exception,” Ben offers. “If we knew why you did it, that is.” 

“You’re going to make an exception for that hoodlum’s violent outburst! He assaulted me!” Mr. Deley cries. 

“Mr. Deley, please, we’re trying to get to the bottom of things,” Belle gently chides and Mr. Deley has the decency to back off at the behest of the former queen. 

Carlos leans in towards his friend, his eyes are still wide with fear but he no longer looks like he’s trying to actively disappear. “Jay, come on, man, just tell them what happened.” 

“I’m not explaining myself to a bunch of goody goods who know nothing about surviving the real world!” 

“Throwing punches at your teachers—that’s how you survive in the real world?” Mr. Deley scoffs. 

“This is all my fault!" Evie cries out. Her hands ball into tight fists at her thighs and she fights the urge to scratch at her skin with sharpened nails. Mother had often chided her for fidgeting when she was anxious, referring to the way Evie sometimes picked at the loose fabric of her clothes or pressed her nails into her palms till angry red half-moons appeared on her skin as silly and unladylike, but she can't bear the thought of returning to the Isle. Not now that she's gotten used to the bright skies and warm colors of Auradon. 

Jay's posture remains defiant but his voice softens when he addresses the blue-haired girl sitting beside him. "No, it’s not, Eves." 

Ben comes around to stand between Auradon Prep’s newest students and Fairy Godmother’s desk. Taking a seat on the edge of the desk behind him, he leans forward to address Evie with a soft curious expression. “Evie, why do you say that?”

“Evie, don’t bother. You don’t owe them shit!” Jay interjects. His posture is rigid and his jaw is clenched tight and he looks nothing like the cocky lothario who stumbled out of the limo that first day and strode over to flirt with Audrey with sparkling eyes and a winning grin. This is an angry determined Jay and the Auradonians in the room shift slightly in discomfort at the display of his intensity. 

“Let her talk, Jay,” Mal says. It’s more of a request than an order—this is Auradon after all and they’re _safe _supposedly, at least physically, so she doesn’t need to _lead_ as much as she did when they were back on the Isle, but she’s still capable of tossing out a command or two every now and again. And thankfully her friends are still willing to oblige her—even after she failed to be by their side when they needed her. 

Mal twirls a piece of Evie’s hair around her finger as she begins to comb her hand through sapphire-colored locks. Evie instinctively leans back into Mal’s soothing touch, letting her eyes fall shut for a brief moment of peace. 

“Evie, what happened?” Mal prompts. 

“Jay was only trying to protect me,” Evie admits, her gaze dropping to her lap for a moment before she’s squaring her shoulders back and staring straight at Ben with a glint of challenge. “If you’re going to expel someone, it should be me!”

“Great idea. Expel them all,” Mr. Deley exclaims from his perch on the window. 

Mal doesn’t blame Jay for punching the guy, she kind of wants to punch him too. 

“Don’t you dare punish Evie or Carlos for something I did!” Jay glares at the row of adults. 

“Evie, please, help us understand what’s going on here,” Ben prods gently.

Evie nods, failing to mask a very un-ladylike sniffle as she tries to fend off the tears that have been threatening to spill all afternoon. Ben’s eyes are warm and inviting and she’s hopeful that maybe he'll be of some help to them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW this chapter for mentions of sexual assault

Evie takes a deep breath and cautiously starts to tell her side of the story. “Jay texted me. He and Carlos were at lunch but I had double Chemistry because today is my lab day so I wasn’t with them. Jay said they needed me so I asked Mr. Deley if I could be excused to use the bathroom and left to meet them.” 

“You cut class?” Beast questions. 

Evie draws back at his disapproval and Ben frowns at his father. 

“Dad, please.” 

Ben knows Evie can be a bit skittish at times, maybe not as bad as Carlos, but she isn't as defiant as Jay or Mal and he doesn’t need Evie shutting down before he gets to the bottom of things.

“Oh please,” Mal scoffs from behind Evie, rolling her eyes at the former king’s question. “Who cares? Half the kids in this place skip class. Of course, no one bats an eye when they do it because they’re _good little hero’s’ kids_.”

“I had to. Carlos needed me,” Evie explains, voice a little more desperate now that she can feel the heat of disapproval on her. 

Despite being a villain kid, Evie never truly enjoyed breaking the rules—not in the way her friends’ seemed to delight in it. On the Isle she did what she had to, she went along with her crew and tried to stay afloat in a lawless land. Sure, she could scheme with the best of them, but Evie actually quite likes rules and order. For much too long, she had been subjected to the emotional whims of others, mostly that of her mother, or occasionally those of other villains on the Isle, who would take out their own impulses and frustrations on her. So Evie doesn’t mind the stringent structure of Auradon if it protects her from some of the chaos she was accustomed to on the Isle. 

Evie would never skip class for something frivolous, but when she received Jay’s text she didn’t even hesitate. Her hand flew up and without a second thought, she was lying to her teacher and rushing out of class in search of Jay and Carlos. One of her friends needed her and that's a whole other set of rules she abides by—gang rules—rules that dictate that you show up when someone in your crew needs you, that you always have each other’s back—and gang rules trumped Auradon rules in Evie’s mind. So, yes, she cut out of class but she had good reason. 

“Carlos,” Ben repeats as his eyes shift curiously from Evie to the boy in question and then back to Evie once more. “And what exactly is his role in all of this?” 

Evie turns her head to look over at the boy perched on the arm of her chair. “C?” 

Carlos nods, giving Evie his silent permission to tell his part of the story. 

“Carlos had an episode. He and Jay were in the cafeteria and…" 

“An episode?” Ben interrupts. 

Evie pauses, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth in hesitation. She may have Carlos’s permission to share today’s story, but she doesn't think it is within her right to share his _whole_ story. 

Luckily, Carlos saves her from her moral dilemma. 

“I got overwhelmed. It happens sometimes when I’m reminded of things about back home,” Carlos explains with a shrug that fails to come across as casual. 

“What was it this time, Carlos?” Mal asks softly in response to the boy’s confession. With a hand still combing through Evie’s hair, determined emerald eyes map out Carlos’s worried face. She can practically feel the apprehension rolling off both Evie and Carlos as they piece together the story and beat themselves up for their roles in it. Mal wants nothing more than to soothe her friends' worries and tell them that everything will be alright, but she's too unsure to offer any assurances. 

Back on the Isle, Jay liked to joke that he and Mal were the brawn of their operation while Evie and Carlos were the brains (_and beauty_, Evie would teasingly add), but for Mal, they were the heart. Evie and Carlos were just as tough as Mal and Jay, but unlike their emotionally stunted counterparts, Evie and Carlos allowed themselves to be vulnerable on occasion. They allowed themselves to actually _feel, _and that was probably the bravest thing you could do on the Isle. Of course, that didn’t keep Mal and Jay from feeling like they had to protect them at all costs because you always protect your heart. 

Carlos sighs and squirms a little under the scrutiny, never one for the spotlight. Every pair of eyes in the room are currently on him, watching, waiting for him to speak in hopes that he can provide some sort of explanation that would both vindicate his friends and satisfy the angry adults in the room. The pressure makes his head hurt and he wished he had Dude with him to calm him down. 

“There was this girl in the cafeteria. She was wearing this, uh, like fur cape thing.” 

“A shawl,” Evie supplies helpfully. “A faux fox shawl, to be exact. Pocahontas’s daughter. I’ve seen her around.” 

“Yeah, her,” Carlos confirms. He had described the girl and the garment to Evie when she showed up and of course, Evie knew exactly who and what he was talking about. “Well, she kind of accidentally bumped into me in line and I, uh… she just reminded me of my mom is all.”

His cheeks flush with shame and he digs the toe of his black combat boot into the carpet of Fairy Godmother’s office. It was just fur—_faux fur, not even real fur_—it shouldn’t have sent him into a full-blown panic attack in the middle of the cafeteria seconds after he had gotten a plate full of pizza sticks. But for one heart-stopping moment, he could have sworn he saw his mother bearing down on him—face twisted with rage, curses flying from her mouth, and the tails of her long fur coat blowing behind her as she wailed and kicked at him like a defenseless dog.

“What does this have to do with Evie and how did it lead to Jay assaulting a teacher?” Ben asks, his tone still soothingly neutral. 

Carlos has always found it a little hard to maintain eye contact for too long so his gaze shifts from Ben to the others in the room, never settling on any one person for more than a moment. Fairy Godmother’s face is fixed with a curious concerned expression, the poor woman had been trying to get answers out of the volatile group for nearly an hour, and only now are they finally getting somewhere. Belle’s eyes are kind and soft, exuding understanding and compassion. Carlos envies Ben for getting to grow up with a mother so unlike anything he or his friends have known. He expects to find Beast glaring, the former king had seemed the least willing to listen to his and his friends’ side of events, but Beast is more Adam at the moment—face relaxed as he listens to Carlos expectantly. Carlos only spares Mr. Deley the briefest of glances but it’s enough to see the teacher’s scowl is still firmly in place. 

“Evie’s the best at calming the rest of us down when we have our episodes,” Carlos says when his eyes meet Ben’s again. His mind drifts back to the warm feeling of Evie’s arms around his shoulders and her silky voice against his ear instructing him to breathe. His cheeks warm a bit at the thought of his friend's comfort. “She’s just really good at it.” 

Evie beams with pride. “I give the best hugs!” 

“She does,” Mal admits with a sheepish smile of her own. And she has the most soothing voice and she’s the least afraid to show emotion or affection toward those she cares about and she’s Mal’s best friend and Mal will murder Mr. Deley if it turns out he did something to hurt her. 

“You all have these episodes?” Belle wonders, voice soft and curious. 

At his mother's question, Ben's glance shifts from Carlos to Evie to Jay before finally setting on Mal. Ben knows his girlfriend doesn't have the fondest memories of the Isle but she doesn't talk about it much, and due to his own discomfort he never really pushes her to.

Carlos makes a gesture somewhere between a shrug and a nod while the others avoid the question altogether. “It’s different for everyone.” 

And it is. Carlos is prone to panic whenever he pictures his mother’s angry face or replays her shrill shrieking voice in his mind.Evie sometimes shuts down for days at a time—refusing to eat or talk or leave her room—when she can’t shake her mother’s incessant criticisms from her head or the remnants of an unwanted touch from her skin.  


Mal and Jay are different—they act _out_ rather than withdraw inward like Carlos and Evie tend to. When the pressure of being Maleficent’s daughter grows to be too much for Mal and she feels like a total failure, she lashes out and tries to push away the people she cares about the most. Evie, Jay, and Carlos never let her succeed, of course. And Jay, well Jay gets angry, and as a result, someone usually ends up getting punched. Today it happened to be Mr. Deley, but Carlos knows Jay’s anger will be forever aimed at his father, even if Jafar never actually suffers its consequences. 

Belle gives a simple “I see” in return and exchanges an uneasy look with her husband. 

“You were saying?” Fairy Godmother prompts in hopes of keeping Carlos on track 

“Jay texted Evie because I freaked out and Evie left Mr. Deley’s class to meet us and then Jay hit him and now we’re going to get kicked out of Auradon and sent back to the Isle,” Carlos explains in a rush before turning his head from Evie to Jay. ”I’m sorry I got you both in trouble! I didn’t mean to start a whole thing. It was stupid. I know my mom’s not here.” 

Evie pivots in her chair and gently touches a hand to Carlos’s back to draw his attention back to her. “Hey, C, it’s okay. We’re okay,” she says, voice sweetly calm. “We take care of each other. Always. It’s what we do. It’ll be okay. Everyone’s okay.”

“I beg to differ,” Mr. Deley mutters from the corner. 

“Ahem,” Fairy Godmother says in a pointed attempt to keep the conversation from veering off track yet again. Ben turns back to the headmistress with a grateful smile. “Children, please continue," she prompts. "Evie, dear, what happened after you left class?” 

Evie turns away from Carlos to face forward, sitting up straight and smoothing out her skirt primly. If she’s going to be expelled from school and cast out of Auradon for good, she’s going to do so while looking her best. It’s bad enough her face is likely red and puffy from her brush with tears, the least she can do now is maintain proper posture and ensure her clothes are wrinkle-free. After all, she’ll need to polish her manners if she’s going to be living with her mother again. Her stomach twists with dread at the thought but she forges on and answers Fairy Godmother's question. 

“I met Jay and Carlos in the boys’ bathroom on the second floor. It took a while but eventually, Carlos calmed down and I was about to return to class—” 

“When that jackass barged in and manhandled her!” Jay interrupts, nearly jumping out of his seat to point at an indignant finger at Mr. Deley. 

Mal’s head snaps in the direction of the teacher so quickly an audible crack can be heard. “He did what?!” she demands. 

“Manhandle?! I barely touched her!” Mr. Deley defends. 

Evie, not one for conflict, bows her head demurely at the escalating tension. “I suppose I had been gone from class for quite a while.” 

“Over twenty minutes!” Mr. Deley says animatedly. “So imagine my surprise when I go to search for my missing student, fearful that perhaps she had fallen ill or gotten hurt, only to find her in the boys’ bathroom of all places!”

“Would it have been better if we were in the girls’ bathroom?” Carlos asks curiously. 

“A young lady should not be alone in any bathroom with two boys!” Mr. Deley exclaims.

Carlos's face twists with confusion. He really doesn’t understand why Mr. Deley is so caught up on Evie being in the bathroom with him and Jay. He hadn’t thought at all about the location Jay had dragged him to, he had just been thankful they were alone. 

“Jay was just looking for some place private. Hardly anybody uses that bathroom because it’s the only one on that floor that hasn’t been renovated recently,” he says. 

“We were just trying to comfort Carlos,” Evie adds quietly, finally lifting her head to look around the room. 

“Comfort? Is that what you call it?” Mr. Deley scoffs, barely able to keep the disdain from his voice. “They were all over each other!” 

Evie feels her cheek burn at her teacher’s insinuation. She really doesn’t want Ben and his parents to think poorly of her, especially not in that regard. Besides, Jay and Carlos are like brothers to her. 

“We were hugging. It was just a hug,” she murmurs, her head bowed once again in shame. 

“Yeah, a hug, you perv!” Jay shouts at the teacher. 

“Jay!” Fairy Godmother scolds. 

Jay rolls his eyes but settles back against his chair with a huff. Sometimes he wishes he could control his temper better. He hates that he has such a thing in common with his father, but unlike his old man, he doesn’t hurt people without reason. His father had a tendency to explode with rage at the smallest inconvenience or perceived slight and Jay was often on the receiving end of that rage. But Jay reserves his anger for those who deserve it—like people who put their hands on his friends. Maybe he did like the feeling of his knuckles cracking against the jaw of some unsuspecting jerk who tries to hurt someone he cares about, and maybe he did sometimes react without thinking, too quickly and too intensely, but he’s not his father—he would never be like his father. He protects people, he doesn’t hurt them. 

Ben clears his throat and addresses Evie once again. “So what happened after Mr. Deley entered the bathroom?” 

“He tried to make me leave,” Evie says. 

“He called her a tramp and grabbed her,” Jay spits, once again interrupting. His expression is hard and angry and if looks could kill Mr. Deley would be a corpse right about now. 

“He did what?!” Mal’s eyes flash green with rage at the information. The image of Mr. Deley shrinking back at the sight of her has her lips curling into a wicked snarl. She feels the burning rising, the dragon deep within threatening to rear its head.

“Mal, calm down, it’s fine.” Evie’s soft voice breaks through Mal’s cloud of rage and just as quickly, her eyes fade back to their original shade and Mal feels somewhat in control again. She takes a deep breath and glances down at Evie, who has turned sideways in her chair to look up at her best friend. Evie’s face is shrouded in worry and Mal gives the girl a small smile in hopes of easing that worry away. Mal can’t stand the thought of someone mistreating Evie but going full-blown dragon like her mom in Fairy Godmother’s office before she even has the whole story probably isn’t going to help Evie. 

Ben looks perturbed by the information and turns to the teacher for further explanation. “Mr. Deley?" 

“I did not call her a tramp. I said if she continued to _act_ like a tramp she was going to get a reputation worse than she already has,” the teacher says. 

And then Mal’s rage is back and she’s taking a deliberate step in the direction of the chemistry teacher. “You son-of-a—”

“Mal! Don’t!” Evie calls when she feels Mal’s hand leave her hair. She manages to turn quickly and grab Mal’s wrist to stop her. “Please.” 

Mal stops in her tracks at the sight of Evie’s pleading eyes and blows out the air from her cheeks. Ben's expression quickly shifts from horrific worry to utter relief as he watches Mal instantly cool off in response to Evie’s soft plea. 

“Evie, then what happened?” Ben asks after he takes a moment to catch his breath. Perhaps he’d need to develop stronger nerves if he was going to date a kid from the Isle.

"Mr. Deley attempted to escort me out of the bathroom." 

Jay rolls his eyes. “You mean drag you out of the bathroom.” 

“I would have gone willingly,” Evie starts fretfully. “If he had given me a chance, I would have followed him but he got so angry and—” 

“Damn right I got angry!” Mr. Deley erupts from the corner. He points an angry accusing finger in Evie’s direction. “You lied and took advantage of my kindness to go traipsing off to do gods know what with your little boyfriends!” 

Evie rears back and shakes her head, stunned by the accusation and the harshness of her teacher’s voice. “They’re not! I didn’t!”

“Mr. Deley.” This time the admonishment comes from a pensive Adam. The former king’s commanding voice is enough to reel the chaos back in for the moment. 

“All I was doing was attempting to bring _my student_ back to class where she belonged when _he_ attacked me for no reason!” Mr. Deley says after a breath, focus snapping in Jay’s direction. 

Jay glares back. “I warned him to let her go.”

“I don’t take orders from Isle thugs,” Mr. Deley spits back at the boy. 

“Is that why you hit Mr. Deley, Jay? Because he tried to bring Evie back to class?” Belle asks calmly. 

If it had been anybody else asking Jay might have fired back some snappy sarcastic response, or simply told them to screw off, but he sort of likes Belle. She doesn’t look at him and his friends like they're worth less than dirt. She speaks to them like they're actual people, not just kids from the wrong side of the ocean. She's kind to them. 

“He didn’t just try to bring her back to class. He screamed in her face, insulted her, and grabbed her by the arm so hard she cried out in pain,” Jay says, a hardened edge creeping into his voice as he recalls the scene. “And when I warned him to get his hands off of her, he wouldn’t listen.” 

There’s a brief moment of silence as the room absorbs Jay’s words. 

The lull in chatter has Evie fidgeting anxiously in her chair as her need to fill the silence claws at her throat. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have lied! I didn’t mean to cause any trouble!” 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, E,” Mal tries to calm her, much like Evie had done for Carlos moments earlier, although Mal has never been as eloquent as Evie.

"That jerk deserved what he got!” Jay declares. 

“Jay! You’re so not helping right now,” Mal groans. She certainly agrees with Jay that Mr. Deley deserved to get punched but they’re in Auradon now, they have to approach situations with what Evie refers to as _diplomacy_, but Mal knows that’s just a fancy word for not ripping people’s heads off whenever they piss you off. She’s been trying to abide but people like Mr. Deley make it hard. 

Ben stands from his perch on Fairy Godmother’s desk and addresses the room. “This all sounds like a misunderstanding. I’m sure we can work out a solution that allows Jay to continue his education here at Auradon Prep while guaranteeing something like this never happens again.” 

“Are you kidding me?!” Mr. Deley cries in outrage. 

“Look, you heard the king, let’s just move on. It’s not like Jay meant to punch your lights out,” Mal says to the furious teacher. She’d love to give the guy a second black eye to match the one he’s currently sporting, but she can’t risk any of them getting kicked out of school, or worse sent back to the Isle. Not when Evie looks ready to fall apart, and Carlos’s eyes are still wide with fear, and Jay looks ready to fight anyone who looks at him wrong. 

“No! Mal, I did mean to,” Jay insists. “If you saw the look on Evie’s face when he grabbed her, you would have done way worse than deck the jerk.” 

Mal exhales and comes around to stand at Evie’s side, reaching out to stroke the girl's arm affectionately. “Were you scared, E?” she asks softly.

Evie bites her lip and drops her gaze to her lap. She hates feeling so out of control and helpless. “I’m sorry. I know it’s different here. I’m trying to be better.”

Mal gives her a sad smile. ”Don’t apologize, princess. You’re doing great.”

“Why would Evie be scared of Mr. Deley?” Fairy Godmother asks, eyes all bright and full of innocent wonder. 

“Because,” Mal drawls with a sigh. “On the Isle, when some man twice your size calls you derogatory names and tries to drag you off someplace alone… it’s not usually to read you a bedtime story.”

Ben’s eyes widen as he catches onto Mal’s implication and suddenly he’s looking to his girlfriend with a worried expression. 

“Mal,” Ben exhales, voice barely above a whisper. “Has anything like that ever happened to you?” 

“No.” Mal shakes her head and glances at Evie who gives a small nod. 

“But Evie hasn’t been so lucky.”

Mal’s fist clench at her side at the memory of Evie—clothes torn and lip bloodied—stumbling into their hideout one evening and collapsing against Mal in a fit of sobs that lasted long into the night. Carlos had expertly cleaned her scrapes and cuts while Mal held her tightly and assured her she was safe. Jay tore apart the whole Isle looking for the man Evie described, only to return hours later with split knuckles and shirt stained red with blood that was not his own. Mal would exact her own revenge later when she felt ready to leave Evie's side. That night the four friends fell asleep in an exhausted tangled heap with hushed promises that things would one day get better. They had to. 

The statement seems to suck all the air out of the room and Mal can hear tiny gasps of surprise escape the lips of Fairy Godmother, Belle, and Ben. Mal wants to scream and shake them all, every last one of them, and ask how they can be so surprised. What did they expect would happen to kids who were forced to grow up on an island full of the worst villains the world had to offer? Villains so vile and dangerous that good King Adam banished them all to an island surrounded by a magic barrier to protect the people he deemed worthy. What did the former King and Queen think would happen to the kids born onto that island? Kids who lacked their parents’ viciousness and yet were sentenced to suffer the same fate and live amongst the same depravity in punishment for crimes they did not commit.

“Oh, dear,” Fairy Godmother gasps softly, drawing her hand to her heart.

Beast makes a low grunt of disapproval and looks away—in shame, Mal hopes. 

Belle shakes her head sadly, eyeing Evie with tender motherly affection the girl has never known. 

Ben just stares at the blue-haired girl with a mix of abject horror and crushing guilt. Evie smiled more than anyone Ben had ever met, and it was a beautiful smile—big and bright and capable of melting even the iciest of hearts—but Ben had noticed Evie also had a tendency to drift away at times. Times when her smile dropped and her eyes clouded over with something dark Ben could not see. Those times were thankfully brief and often fleeting and it usually only took a gentle touch from Mal, or an affectionate grin from Jay, or an offered piece of candy from Carlos to snap her out of it. And then Evie’s smile would return and Ben would be happy to not have to think about whatever dark thing could possibly be plaguing the girl’s mind. But now he can’t just _not_ think about it, now he has to face it, to accept it as a shameful part of his family’s royal legacy, and the thought of someone doing _that _to Evie makes his stomach churn violently. 

While the Auradonians in the room wrestle with their newfound guilt, Jay crosses his arms over his chest in defiance. 

“And I’m not letting anything like that happen ever again!”

Jay might not have known what Mr. Deley's intentions were when he wrapped his hand around Evie's arm and started to pull her away, but Jay had known how vacant Evie's eyes had been for weeks following that night. He had known of the nightmares that woke Evie from her sleep, screaming and covered in sweat, for months. He had watched the normally affectionate Evie flinch and cower whenever anybody got too close. It had been hell to watch his friend suffer like that and he wasn't going to allow it to happen again.

The tears that have been threatening to spill all afternoon begin to silently trickle down Evie’s cheeks as she stares at the floor in shame. For so long, Mal, Jay, and Carlos were the only ones who knew about that night , but now her deepest secret is public knowledge. The King of Auradon and his parents, the school headmistress and her teacher, now know about her darkest moment and Evie feels like she's been cut open and put on display as looks of pity are furtively sent her way. If she had the magic to make herself disappear, she'd use it. 

Mal drapes an arm across her shoulder and pulls her against her side, while Carlos takes Evie’s right hand and gives it a firm squeeze. Jay’s expression softens when he sees his friends embracing and he rests a heavy hand on Carlos’s shoulder. No words are exchanged, just comfort given amongst friends.

Mal’s heart breaks with guilt as Evie’s tears soak her shirt. Sure, she is still struggling herself, but she had thought the others were doing better in Auradon. Maybe she had let herself get a little distracted with her boyfriend recently because it was far better to get lost in Ben than in her own head, but she had no idea things were still so bad for her friends. Carlos is still having flashbacks to his mother’s abuse, Evie can’t stand the touch of a stranger, and Jay’s anger—well she knew that wasn’t going to go away overnight but she had thought he was channeling it productively in Tourney. 

She let her friends down. Her mother was right, she doesn’t have what it takes to lead, she is a failure. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. This is my first Descendants fic and I have a couple of more in early stages but I always feel uneasy about jumping into new fandoms....thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

They stay quietly huddled together for a moment, four kids far from home in need of comfort only they can provide each other. 

Ben glances around the room with a worried expression. As king, he feels a responsibility to right the wrongs of the royal family’s past and he had been hopeful that he’d be able to do so with his plan to bring over the kids from Isle and integrate them into life in Auradon. But the harsh realities that have been unveiled in an afternoon’s time are enough to rattle the eager king and make him reconsider his readiness to lead. The issues the children from the Isle have had to grapple with are far too grave for one boy to fix with a hastily drawn up proclamation. Ben peers over the bowed heads of his newest classmates and seeks guidance from his parents, but finds them silent with guilt. 

“I don’t care about whatever little sob story they’re trying to sell here,” Mr. Deley huffs bitterly, effectively disturbing the tense silence that had settled over the office. “Nothing changes the fact that _the boy _punched me,” he spits. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence against faculty. His actions are grounds for immediate expulsion. End of story!”

Mal reluctantly pulls away from her friends to glare menacingly at the teacher. “_The boy_ spent his whole life fighting to keep himself and his friends safe. We all have,” she fires back. “Instincts like that don’t just go out the window the second we set foot in Auradon.” 

“Mal, has a point,” Ben comments, trying to keep his tone neutral. 

Mal smiles appreciably at her boyfriend, causing him to look away with a blush. 

Mr. Deley juts an arm out in outrage, flailing it angrily in Mal’s direction. “We’re listening to villains now!”

“Mr. Deley,” Ben counters. “Jay was just reacting to behavior he perceived as a threat to his friend.” 

The teacher remains unimpressed with the young king’s explanation, his face cross with disbelief. “What threat? The threat of returning to class?!” 

Ben stands straighter, adjusting his tie and adopting his most official-looking posture.He may be king but Mr. Deley has been his science teacher for two years now and he finds it terribly disconcerting to be addressing him with royal authority. 

“Your intention may not have been to cause Evie harm, but I’m afraid your _abruptness_ and your physical handling of her did, in fact, frighten her,” Ben points out carefully. “And with what we now know about Evie’s history on the Isle, it’s understandable that Jay’s instinct to protect his friend would kick in when he saw that fearful look on her face” 

Evie turns away at the mention of her painful past, burying her head against Mal’s arm in a pathetic attempt at hiding her anguish. 

Jay, on the other hand, perks up at the boy’s words, regarding the king with newfound respect. Ben’s right, he would have done anything to get that hauntingly frightened look off Evie’s face. 

“Don’t tell me you’re falling for this! That kid is a degenerate! He needs to banned from campus immediately!” Mr. Deley cries. 

Evie scrambles to her feet at the teacher's outburst. “Jay was only trying to protect me! Please don’t punish him!” 

“And Evie was only in that bathroom to help me,” Carlos says, rising to stand at Evie’s side as if to volunteer for whatever punishment may be doled out. 

Mal steps forward next, placing a hand on Carlos’s shoulder. “If anyone deserves to be punished, it’s me.” 

“Oh, come on!” Mr. Deley scoffs. “She wasn’t even there! Which is frankly surprising, considering how co-dependent the four of them are,” he says, rolling his eyes at the dramatic display of loyalty from the children of villains. 

“No, but I should have been,” Mal insists, glaring at the outraged teacher before turning her gaze to the other adults in the room. “Look, the four of us are a family and we stick together. That’s never going to change. So if you’re going to kick Jay out of school, you might as well expel me as well.” 

“Yeah, you can expel me too,” Carlos adds. 

Evie nods her head in agreement. “Same here.” 

“No one’s getting expelled,” Fairy Godmother declares, echoing Ben’s earlier decision. 

Ben looks back at the headmistress and smiles gratefully, pleased to see they’re on the same page regarding the matter. His parents give approving nods of their own and Ben exhales with relief. He doesn’t blame Fairy Godmother for calling in reinforcements. The conversation seems to be going in circles and Ben feels like his head is spinning. Mr. Deley is completely unwilling to forgive Jay’s offense, while the VKs remain wary and suspicious of the adults in the room. And yet Ben knows it’s his duty to reach an outcome that’s best for everyone involved. 

“They’re not?” Jay asks skeptically. He had violated a school rule, he surely expected to be punished as a result. 

“No,” Fairy Godmother confirms. “Jay, violence of any kind will not be tolerated on this campus but this time, and _this time only_, we will make an exception.”

“You can’t be serious!” Mr. Deley rages. 

“I’m not finished,” Fairy Godmother says sternly, ignoring Mr. Deley’s ranting and focusing her gaze on the four children in front of her. “I’m willing to let this matter go—if you four agree to get help.” 

“We have help. We help each other,” Jay answers plainly. “Weren’t you listening?" 

Carlos scratches at the back of his neck and looks around nervously. “That’s sort of what got us here.” 

“Professional help,” Fairy Godmother amends with a kind smile. 

Mal crosses her arms over her chest, unsure of where this conversation is going but pretty certain she doesn’t like the direction it’s taking. “What do you mean?” 

“Counseling." 

Evie shakes her head, frowning at the headmistress's unexpected proposition. “I don’t understand,” she trails off, tilting her head towards her friends in confusion. “Like we go before a council and they tell us what to do?” 

“I mean therapy,” Fairy Godmother clarifies. “Either group or individual, where you meet with a professional psychotherapist who helps you work through your traumatic experiences from the Isle.”

“And perhaps some of you might benefit from an anger management course or two,” Adam suggests pointedly, his tone serious but his expression light as he raises an eyebrow in Jay’s direction. 

Jay just shrugs in response. 

“That’s an excellent idea!" Ben agrees enthusiastically, pleased with his parents’ approval and Fairy Godmother’s handling of the situation. 

"It all sounds pretty ridiculous to me,” Mal remarks with a shrug of her own. 

“Well there’s one thing the girl and I can agree on,” Mr. Deley mutters.

“No, Mal, it’s not,” Ben insists, ignoring the chemistry teacher’s disgruntled murmuring. “Therapy has helped lots of people in Auradon deal with the more challenging aspects of life.” 

Mal rolls her eyes. “What’s so challenging about life in Auradon? Too many flavors of ice cream to choose from?” 

Adam clears his throat, placing both his hands on his wife’s shoulders as he addresses the teens with a somber expression. “I myself sought help to accept the things I did as Beast, so I could forgive myself and move on with Belle. So that I could be a better father, husband, and leader.”

Belle turns her head to give her husband a proud smile before looking back at the kids and interjecting: “And Snow White has been an advocate for mental health awareness for some time now.” 

“She has?” Evie asks eagerly, interest spiking at the mention of her step-sister.

Belle nods, flashing the girl an encouraging smile. She’s known Snow for a while now and feels confident her friend won’t mind her elaborating, especially for Evie’s benefit. “After nearly dying at the hands of her step-mother, Snow needed help to not be so afraid,” the former queen explains, as delicately as she can. “She’s made enormous strides in her recovery. She even does a monthly mental wellness hour on her show.” 

Evie considers the information, thinking about the step-sister she’s never known and how happy she’s looked in the brief clips Evie’s seen of her reporting the news on TV. If Snow White overcame her past with the help of this therapy thing, maybe it’s not such a bad idea. She turns her gaze to her friends to gauge their reactions but finds them all looking lost in their own thoughts. 

“We were remiss in not providing you four such a service sooner,” Fairy Godmother says regretfully. “We should have realized you’d have issues to work through from your time on the Isle.” 

“This is unbelievable! They’re villains! And you’re treating them like victims! They’re making fools of you!” Mr. Deley cries, once again throwing his hands up in outrage as he stalks across the small space in front of the office’s sole window. 

“Mr. Deley, you’re excused,” Ben says, dismissing the disgruntled teacher. He hates the way his eyes immediately search out his parents, desperately seeking their approval on each and every decision he makes as a leader, but he can’t help but be uncertain. These matters seem so grand and he’s only been king for a handful of months. Thankfully, he finds them looking on with encouraging expressions. 

“Excuse me?” the teacher demands incredulously. 

“The matter has been addressed. You are no longer needed here.” Ben does his best to appear stern and kingly in his decision, but his girlfriend’s grinning face causes his serious expression to slip and his cheeks to redden once again. 

Mr. Deley narrows his eyes at the young king, disdain dripping from his lips as he sneers, “This is what happens when we turn silly little schoolboys into kings!” 

Beast steps forward with a growl. “Mr. Deley, you will not disre—”

"Dad, no,” Ben interrupts, lifting a hand to stop his father’s coming tirade. Squaring his shoulders and channeling his father’s sense of confidence, Ben keeps his voice calm but firm as he addresses the disgraced chemistry teacher. “Mr. Deley, I’ve given you every consideration I can afford to you, but if you are unable to put your personal bias aside and teach _every _student that sits in your classroom fairly, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to find someone else who can.” 

“Are you threatening to fire me?! Over that little tramp and some violent thug?!” 

“Call my friends names one more time!” Mal warns, teeth bared and eyes glowing with a chilling brilliance.

Jay lunges toward the teacher. “You better watch your mouth, you sniveling—”

“That’s enough!” Ben shouts. “Mr. Deley, you are hereby excused from your duties as an educator at Auradon Prep. Your termination is effective immediately. You have till the end of the day to gather your belongings and leave campus.” 

“You can’t do that! You don’t have the authority to fire me!” Mr. Deley protests. The teacher looks to the other adults present but finds no recourse in their stony faces. 

"I am King, sir,” Ben says. “I have every authority.” 

Mr. Deley leaves the room in a huff, scowling and muttering under his breath as he pushes past Carlos and Jay on his way out. 

The door slams shut with a resounding bang and Ben clears his throat and smiles sheepishly at the multiple sets of eyes watching him. The air in the tiny room is thick and stifling and he finds himself tugging at the tie around his neck to loosen it. Mal slips out from behind Evie to take his hand and squeezes it in a show of appreciation. Ben resists the urge to pull her in and wrap his arms around her and instead gives her an encouraging nod, silently assuring her he’s okay. 

“Now where were we?” Fairy Godmother asks tersely, her voice rising in pitch as she calls for the group to refocus. 

“You guys were somehow just realizing how royally you screwed up with the kids on the Isle,” Jay explains unceremoniously, settling back down in his chair. 

Evie follows suit and sits down as well, delicately crossing her legs at her ankles and folding her hands neatly in her lap. Carlos once again perches on the arm of Evie’s chair, glancing furtively over at the former king and queen in search of a reaction to Jay’s insult that never comes. Mal leaves Ben’s side and returns to her protective stance behind her friends. 

“I’m afraid we didn’t want to think about how bad things might have been for you over there,” Adam confesses, his eyes darting guiltily around the room before settling on his son with a dejected frown. Ben sends his father a strained but understanding smile, grateful his dad is acknowledging the hardships the children on the Isle face. 

Jay shifts in his chair, folding his arms and slouching down. “Cause you just left us to rot for the crimes of our parents.” 

Belle smiles sadly at the surly teenager and Jay feels his anger waning slightly under her warm maternal gaze. “I’m afraid we were remiss in more ways than one and I’ll forever be sorry for all the pain the four of you have endured,” she says sincerely. Her compassion-filled eyes search out Mal’s scowling face and Carlos’s frightened features, giving them each a kind smile before settling on a tense and uncertain Evie. “Evie, dear, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.”

“It’s okay,” Evie murmurs, shrugging as she peers down at the carpet and avoids the eyes of everyone in the room. Carlos squeezes her arm affectionately and Evie forces out a choked breath at the comforting touch of her oldest friend. She does her best not to think about that night but sometimes she can't help it. Mr. Deley's rough hand tugging at her arm had made her freeze with fear, her mind flashing back to when she had been violently grabbed and pulled into a darkened alley by a towering stranger. And now, following a long afternoon of confronting their pasts and unearthing uncomfortable truths, Evie's body sags with exhaustion. 

“No, it’s not okay and you don’t have to pretend like it is,” Belle asserts. “I’d like for you to be able to talk about what happened to you if you choose.” 

“She talks to us,” Mal says defensively, glaring at the adults in the room as she places a possessive hand on Evie’s shoulder.

“She’s very lucky to have friends like you three,” Belle agrees with a genuine smile. “But I’d also like to extend every resource Auradon has available for your benefit. The infirmary has a rape crisis center, with a full staff of counselors. I encourage you to please utilize their services.” 

“A crisis center?” Evie repeats. She looks to Mal for clarification but the purple-haired girl can only shrug, equally confused. 

“Yes, dear. To help victims of sexual assault,” Fairy Godmother chimes in to explain. 

Evie pales, frantic eyes dancing around the room. “That—_that _happens here?” 

Fairy Godmother exchanges tense glances with the former king and queen before returning her focus to a fretful Evie. “It’s rare, thankfully, but I’m afraid it has on occasion.” 

“But this is Auradon,” Evie squeaks out. 

Mal’s face hardens at the fear she hears in Evie’s voice and she turns her head to find Jay looking back at her.She can read the expression on the boy’s face clear as day and they have a brief silent conversation, asking each other if they’ve been too quick to let their guards down here in Auradon.

“We’re not perfect, dear,” Fairy Godmother says. 

Jay scoffs at the headmistress’s admission. “We’ve noticed.” 

“Evie, you’re safe here,” Ben declares, noticing Evie’s increasingly worried expression. “You’re all safe here, I give you my word.” 

Mal wants to question her boyfriend on how he can guarantee such a thing, but Ben’s promise is just so earnest and Mal needs Evie to believe it’s true—they all need to believe it's true.“What happens to them?” she asks instead. 

"To whom?” 

“The rapists,” Mal clarifies, an edge creeping into her voice at the thought of such dangers lurking in the place that is supposed to be their refuge. 

Ben falters at the candor of the question, sorrow marring his boyish features. He’s not quite sure how such criminals are dealt with in Auradon; it has yet to be an issue in his brief tenure as king and he never had reason to inquire during his father’s reign.

His eyes turn instinctively to his father and Adam steps in at his son’s hesitance, providing Mal the answers she seeks. “We have a progressive penal system aimed at rehabilitation. After an imposed period of detainment, offenders are vigorously counseled and reformed until they are deemed fit to return to Auradon society,” the former king explains proudly. 

“So you just let criminals roam free after a couple of months in jail?” Jay asks with a disbelieving stare. 

Adam balks at the steely look he finds on the teen’s face and the equally disturbed looks on the faces of his friends. “It usually takes a bit longer than that, but yes, we believe in second chances here in Auradon." 

“What about first chances?” Evie asks softly. 

“Pardon, dear?” Belle beckons, straining to better hear the blue-haired girl.

Mal is usually the one to speak for the group, particularly in tense situations like this, but it’s Carlos who surprises the room and speaks up, saying what’s on all their minds before Mal can get a grasp on her building rage. 

“You give rapists second chances because they’re from Auradon, but you won’t even give the kids on the Isle a _first _chance at a real life!  We’re punished for the crimes of our parents, sentenced to a life of hardship and destitution before we’re even born! How is that fair?” Carlos demands. 

"It’s not,” Ben agrees soberly, the weight of Carlos’s objection nearly knocking him down. “I’d like for us, all of us, to move forward and make things better. For the four of you and for the rest of the kids on the Isle.” 

“Things will never get better for those kids if they remain on the Isle,” Evie points out. 

“I know,” Ben agrees. 

“You said the plan was to see how we did and then bring more kids over,” Mal reminds him. 

“Yes, that was the plan,” Ben says regretfully. He turns his head, pushing his fingers through his hair as he considers how far off course he’s gotten. “Unfortunately that plan got away from me and more time has passed than I would have liked." 

“Because we’ve caused too much trouble?” Carlos asks timidly. 

Belle shakes her head. “You’ve hardly caused any trouble, dear.” 

Jay leans forward, pulling his beanie from his head and fidgeting nervously in his seat. “Did we—did I mess things up for the other kids on the Isle now?” he asks, uncharacteristically apprehensive. 

“What do you mean, Jay?” Fairy Godmother questions. 

"I won’t apologize for looking after my friends, but I know my temper can be bad,” Jay concedes, with a fading hardness to his voice. “So if you’re reconsidering bringing more kids over because of me, then just send me back instead. I won’t fight you on it.”

“Jay, no!” Evie tearfully interrupts, only to be waved off by the boy.

“There’s a lot of kids on that Isle who deserve a shot at a real life, so if I have to go back so they can have a chance—just get it over with,” Jay continues, apologetic eyes finding the anxious faces of his friends. “But they stay here!”

“No one’s going back,” Ben assures the group before the room descends into madness yet again.“Everyone’s staying in Auradon and continuing their education here at Auradon Prep. And soon, more children from the Isle will be joining you.” 

“Forgive me for asking, but what makes this promise different than the one you made when we first arrived in Auradon?” Evie questions. 

Ben flounders for an explanation for his failings before shaking his head with a regretful sigh. “I was short-sighted in my planning and I let myself get swept up in the excitement of having the four of you here,” he admits, sheepishly glancing at Mal. “But it’s not enough to be earnest and hopeful—to _want_ to make a difference. It’s about action. I’m King now and I need to look out for my people—_all_ my people.”

“Then make it right,” Mal says. 

“I will,” Ben assures his girlfriend with a determined nod. He turns to walk around Fairy Godmother’s desk, finding a pen and a pad. He glances up at the headmistress and his parents as he starts to jot words down in a list. “We need concrete legislation for bringing the remaining children over from the Isle. We need programs and housing and resources. We need—”

“A whole lot of help?” Jay quips. 

Ben chuckles, his hand coming to a stop on the page in front of him. “Yes, we need help. But I think we can do this. If we work together.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks. Sorry, this took me so long to wrap up, I got a little distracted with my other Descendants fic (which you should totally check out if you're so inclined). This was my first Descendants fic and I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought.


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